Tank-securing means



5 Sept. 10, 1929, J. BEYERI 1,727,695

. TANK SECURING MEANS Filed Aug. 3, 1928' INVENTOR John Be e ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE, Y

JOHN BEYER, OFBAYO1\TNE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR AND FOUN- DRY COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF'NEW JERSEY.

TA K-summits MEANS.

Application filed August 3, 1928; Serial No. 297,299.

This invention relates to ameans for securing tanks or the like to a support which may be a railway car or other carrier, and has particular reference to a clamping means.

One object of the present invention is the provision of oppositely disposed clamping elements adapted to engage adjacently arranged tanks to secure the latterto a support.

, Another object of the invention is the provision of oppositely disposed clamping elements adapted to be simultaneously actuated to engage the sides of adjacently arranged tanks. 1

A further object of the invention is the provision of a pedestal for supporting clamping elements of the kind above described, said pedestal being so formed that said elements may be swung at substantially right angles to their tank engaging position whereby they will be out of the path of tanksas they are inserted into the lading zone of the carrier.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a strong and durable tank securing means which is formed of few parts and which is easy and inexpensive to manufacture. l

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing the device of the present invention and adjacent tanks in section secured thereby; and

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Gondola cars or other carriers are being utilized at the present time to transport portable tanks, and in some instances the tanks are vertically arranged in thecarrier in a manner such, for example, as shown in patent to A. Kasser, et al No. 1,488,685. Obviously, it becomes necessary to provide a means for retaining these vertical tanks against vertical and horizontal shifting, and to that end, the

present invention has been designedand contemplates the provision of spaced girders;

which extend transversely across the carrierv at a substantial distance above the floor there; of. In a carrier such as a gondola. car, the

girders may be'secured to the upper edges,

chords or angles of the side sheets. In the drawings forming a part hereof, only two such girders are shown, they being indicated at 2 and 4 respectively. These girders, as before-mentioned, are arranged in spaced relation transversely of the carrier wherebytanks may be received between them. In the drawings, two tanks, 6 and 8, are fragmentarily shown, one being arranged between the girders 2 and d and the other being arranged between the girder 4 and an adjacent spaced girder (not shown). It is usual in cars of this type to provide tanks arranged in both longi tudinal and transverse rows; for example, there may be three or four tanks in each transverse row and consequently there will be a corresponding number of tank securing means, the number of securing means vary ing, of course, to accord with the numberof tanks in each transverse row.

The clamping means ofthe present invention is supported by and secured to thegirders, and each comprises a pedestal indicated in its entirety at A which is generally frustoconical in shape and is provided with a flat upper surface 7 and an attachingbase 9 by which it may be secured to a girder by suitable fasteners, such asthe rivets 10. The pedestals are usually castings and to lighten the weight thereof, they are preferably hollow, being cored out as shown at 12. The pedestal while generally of conical exterior is not specifically so, but is provided with oppositely bearinglfaces or end walls 16 on which latter the wedge blocks 18 are adapted to work. Thewedge blocks 18 each comprise a body port-ion 20 provided with a curved outer face 22 adapted to engage a cylindrical tank or the like, and a rear arcuately undercut face 24which normally rests upon the curved bearing face 16 of the pedestal. One rear edge of the wedge block is provided with a proj ecting guide flange 26 to guide the blocks on the pedestal, as hereinafter mentioned, and to prevent accidental horizontal-shifting of the blocks, and the upper edges of the blocks are each relieved or rounded as shown at27 to permit the blocks to swing to tank engaging position.

arranged flat sides 14 and curved or arcuate I The wedge blocks are each provided with apertured spaced ears 28 on their upper surface between which the ends of a yoke 30 are arranged, and the blocks are loosely and pivotally secured to the yoke by pins 32 which extend through the yoke and through the apertures 34 in the ears 28; the pins being of smaller diameter than the apertures 34 whereby to permit movement of the block on the pin to'accord with any deformations there may be in the tank with which each respective block engages.

The yoke is slidably mounted on a screw pin 36, the lower end of which is threaded into a tapped recess formed in the pedestal. F or further securing the pin, the latter may be welded to'the pedestal as shown at The pin 36 carries a binding nut adapted to bear on the yoke and to secure the latter, and to prevent loss ofthe yoke and nut, the end of the pin is'upset to form a retaining head 42. I The drawings disclose the clamping means as in engagement'with tanks incicated at B and C respectively,these tanks being of cylindrical'form. It is possible, of course, to use tanks of other types such, for example, as a rectangular tank having fiat sides, or a tank the outer surface of which may assume any desired or preferred form, and in view of this, the outer face of each wedge block may be correspondingly shaped within the spirit of the present invention.

. lVhen tanks have been positioned on a carrier between the girders, in the instance shown the tank B being positioned between the girders 2- and 4, the'yoke is positioned at substantially right angles to the longitudinal axis of the; girders, and the nut 40 is then turned downwardly on the screw pin 36 whereupon the yoke will be forced clownwardly and the wedge blocks 18 will be forced into engagement with the outer surface of the tank B whereby the tank is rigidly secured or clamped'between opposed wedge blocks 18. I Due to the loose connection of the wedge blocks 18 with the yokes, should there be any deformation in the tank B, it is apparent that the loose mounting of the wedge blocks 18 will permit the latter to firmly engage the tanklB regardless of the deformation. It will also be apparent that because of the guiding flange formed on the rear edgeof each block, the latter will be I guided on the pedestal to its wedging position with respect to the tank. As clearly shown in Fig; 1, the guide flanges serve as abutments or stops to properly position the wedge blocks with respect to the tanks, and it will be further apparent that'the wedge blocks 18 are retained against lateral shifting inone direction by reason of these guide flanges. I I I W hen it is desired. to remove a tank from a carrier, the nut 40 is backed up on the screw To do this, it is necessary that the nut 40 be backed up on vthe stem 36, whereupon .the yoke and thewedge blocks 18 may be swung over the girder 4 and the lading zone will be open to'permit the insertion of tanks therein. The tankshaving been positioned betweenthe girders 2"and d for example, the yokesmay then be elevated and swung to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2.. The yoke is then dropped until the wedge blocks 18 engage. the tank sides whereupon the nut to may be screwed home to firmly wedge the blocks. 18 into engagement with the tanks.

The drawings disclose oneiembodiment of the invention, butit is to be understood that these drawings are for illustrative purposes only and that various changes in the form and proportions of the device maybe made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. f

What is claimedis: v

1. A securing meansifor spaced tanks comprising a pedestal arranged between said tanks, wedge elements slidable on said pedestal, and means pivotally supporting said wedge elements whereby they may be simultaneously actuated.

.2. A, device of the kind described comprising a pedestal, a yokesupport secured thereto, a yoke loosely mounted on said support, and wedge elements pivotally secured to each end of the yoke and slidable on the pedestal.

3. A device of the kind described comprising a pedestal having oppositely arranged beveled surfaces, a yoke support secured to the pedestal, a yoke movable on said support, a wedge element secured to each end of the yoke'and normally resting on the beveled surfaces, and means for. securing the yoke against movement on the support.

4, Means for securing a tank or the like to a carrier comprising oppositely acting wedge elements for engaging the walls of spaced tanks, a yoke to which the wedge elements are pivotally connected, and a pedestal on which the wedge elements are slidable 'to force the latter against the tanks.

5. device of the kind described comprising a pedestal having oppositely arranged upwardly'beveled surfaces, a yoke support extending upwardly therefrom, a yoke on said support and movable horizontally and verticallythereon, wedge elements pivotally secured to the ends of saidyoke and normally resting upon the beveled surfaces, and means for securing the wedge elements against horizontal and vertical shifting.

6. Means for securing spaced tanks or the like to a carrier comprising simultaneously acting wedge elements, .and a pedestal on which the elements are movable to force the latter into engagement with the tanks.

7. A device of the kind described comprising means for securing tanks to a carrier, including a girder, a pedestal secured to the girder and having oppositely disposed ar-y cuate beveled surfaces, a screw pin extending upwardly from the pedestal, a yoke loosely carried by the screw pin, a wedge element pivotally secured to each end of said yoke and having an arcuate inner face normally engaging the arcuate beveled surfaces of the pedestal, said wedge elements being horizontally shiftable olf of said beveled surfaces, and a flange extending from one rear edge of the wedge elements to limit the horizontal movement of the wedge elements.

8. Means for securing spaced tanks to a carrier comprising oppositely and simultaneously acting wedge elements, a common support to which the wedge elements are pivotally connected, and a pedestal on which the wedge elements are movable into engagement with the tanks.

9. Means for securing spaced tanks to a carrier comprising oppositely and simultaneously acting wedge elements, a common support to which the wedge elements are pivotally connected, a pedestal on which the wedge elements are movable into engagement with the tanks, and means engaging the common support for restraining the wedge elements against displacement.

10. A device of the kind described comprising a pedestal rigidly secured to a supporting base and provided with oppositely arranged vertical side walls and oppositely arranged downwardly tapering end walls, carrying elements secured to the upper face of the pedestal, a yoke movable on the, carrying element, and wedge elements secured to the yoke and normally in engagement with the end walls to be moved downwardly thereon to wedging position, said yoke being movable to withdraw the wedge elements from wedging position whereby they may be horizontally shifted into engagement with the vertical side walls of the pedestal.

11. A device of the kind described comprising a pedestal having oppositely arranged arcuate wedge shape end walls and vertical side walls, pivotally supported tank engaging elements normally in engagement with the end walls to be moved thereon to wedging position, and pivotal means supporting the tank engaging elements where? by they may be disengaged from the end walls and supported adjacent the side walls.

tapered end walls, a yoke supported adjacent the top of the pedestal, clamp elements pivotally and loosely connected to the ends of the yoke and having outer arcuate tank engaging surfacesand inner arcuate pedestal engaging surfaces, said clamp elements being movable downwardly over the end walls to wedgingly engage spaced tanks, and a flange on each clamp element to restrain the latter against horizontal movement in one direction.

13. A device of the kind described comprising means forsecuring spaced tanks, including oppositely acting wedge elements, a common support to which the wedge elements are secured, a pedestal interposed between the spaced tanks and on which the wedge elements act to wedging position, means on the wedge elements cooperating with the pedestal to restrain the elements against horizontal movement in one direction, and means for securing the wedge elements in wedging position.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' JOHN BEYER.

12. A clamping device for spaced tanks 

